"I feel that I am ready for it," he told the London Evening Standard. "It is never going to be easy to nail down that spot but I believe in myself and I believe in my ability.

"I want that position to be mine for years to come. Of course I have got a long way to go, because this is a club who look for the best players in the world. If I am going to hold down the position for as long as I want to, I have got a lot of hard work on my hands. But I believe in myself.

"I am the sort of player who needs to play regularly to get the best out of me.

"My fitness and my athleticism is a big part of my game, getting up and down the pitch. It is difficult to show what I can do when I am not playing regularly because it is hard to get into a rhythm."